Family ASTROBLEPIDAE Bleeker 1862 (Climbing Catfishes)

Revised 22 Feb. 2024 PDF version (with illustrations and additional information) Astroblepus Humboldt 1805 astro, from astḗr (Gr. ἀστήρ), star; blepus, from blépos (Gr. βλέπος), look, i.e., stargazer, referring to dorsally placed eyes of A. grixalvii Astroblepus acostai Ardila Rodríguez 2011 in honor of Eduardo Acosta Bendek (1930–2014), physician and Director, Universidad Metropolitana de Barranquilla, […]

Family CALLICHTHYIDAE Bonaparte 1835 (Armored Catfishes)

Revised 31 July 2024 PDF version (with illustrations and additional information) Callichthys Scopoli 1777 tautonymous with Silurus callichthys Linnaeus 1758 Callichthys callichthys (Linnaeus 1758) callum (L.), hard skin, referring to two rows of bony plates, or scutes, running down length of body; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish Callichthys fabricioi Román-Valencia, Lehmann A. & Muñoz 1999 in […]

Family CETOPSIDAE Bleeker 1858 (Whale and Marbled Catfishes)

Updated 23 Jan. 2024 PDF version (with illustrations and additional information) Whale Catfishes Subfamily CETOPSINAE Bleeker 1858 Cetopsidium Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna 2005 Cetopsis, type genus of family; –idium, –idium, Latin diminutive suffix, referring to relatively small sizes of members of genus Cetopsidium ferreirai Vari, Ferraris & de Pinna 2005 in honor of Brazilian […]

Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE

COMMENTS v. 4.0 – 15 June 2024  view/download PDF Family GERREIDAE Mojarras 7 genera · 55 species Deckertichthys Vergara-Solana 2014    in honor of Gary Dennis Deckert, who first recognized the distinctiveness of this genus in his 1973 Ph.D. dissertation, and for his contribution to the study of Gerreidae; ichthys, fish Deckertichthys aureolus (Jordan & Gilbert […]

Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 5): Family SCIAENIDAE

COMMENTS v. 7.0 – 17 July 2024  view/download PDF Family SCIAENIDAE Drums or Croakers 72 genera/subgenera · 299 species Aplodinotus Rafinesque 1819    etymology not explained, perhaps (h)aplous, single, and notos, back, referring to confluent spinous and soft dorsal fins Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque 1819    Latin for grunting, referring to drum-like sounds that resonate from swim bladder […]

Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 4): Families HAEMULIDAE and LUTJANIDAE

COMMENTS v. 10.0 – 15 Aug. 2024  view/download PDF Family HAEMULIDAE Grunts 21 genera · 138 species/subspecies Subfamily HAEMULINAE Anisotremus Gill 1861    anisos, unequal; tremus, aperture or hole, presumably referring to pair of close-set but morphologically different nares on each side of head of A. virginicus: posterior naris is small and oval-shaped and posterior margin […]

Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 3): Families CALLANTHIIDAE, DINOPERCIDAE, EMMELICHTHYIDAE, MALACANTHIDAE, MONODACTYLIDAE, MORONIDAE, SILLAGINIDAE, PRIACANTHIDAE and CEPOLIDAE

COMMENTS v. 3.0 – 9 May 2024  view/download PDF Family CALLANTHIIDAE Splendid Perches or Groppos 2 genera · 18 species Callanthias Lowe 1839    callos, beautiful, referring to C. paradisaeus (=ruber), “a most elegant little fish; … almost as rare as beautiful”; Anthias, similar to this serranid genus in dentition, and to A. sacer (=anthias) in […]

Order CENTRARCHIFORMES: Families CENTRARCHIDAE, ELASSOMATIDAE, ENOPLOSIDAE, SINIPERCIDAE, APLODACTYLIDAE, CHEILODACTYLIDAE, CHIRONEMIDAE, CIRRHITIDAE, LATRIDAE, PERCICHTHYIDAE, DICHISTIIDAE, GIRELLIDAE, KUHLIIDAE, KYPHOSIDAE, OPLEGNATHIDAE, TERAPONTIDAE, MICROCANTHIDAE, SCORPIDIDAE, PARASCORPIDIDAE and CAESIOSCORPIDIDAE

COMMENTS v. 8.1 – 14 June 2024  view/download PDF 20 families · 79 genera/subgenera · 311 species/subspecies Family CENTRARCHIDAE Freshwater Sunfishes and Black Basses 9 genera/subgenera · 44 species/subspecies Subfamily CENTRARCHINAE Ambloplites Rafinesque 1820    amblys, blunt; hoplites, armed, defined by Rafinesque to mean “obtuse weapons,” referring to “two flat, broad and obtuse spines above the […]

Order LABRIFORMES (part 3): Families PINGUIPEDIDAE, CHEIMARRICHTHYIDAE, AMMODYTIDAE, URANOSCOPIDAE, LEPTOSCOPIDAE and CENTROGENYIDAE

COMMENTS v. 3.0 – 17 July 2024  view/download PDF Family PINGUIPEDIDAE Sandperches 7 genera · 101 species Kochichthys Kamohara 1961    Kochi, referring to Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, type locality of K. flavofasciatus; ichthys, fish [replacement name for Kochia Kamohara 1960, preoccupied by Kochia Frech 1891 in fossil bivalves] Kochichthys flavofasciatus (Kamohara 1936)    flavus, yellow; […]

Family TRICHOMYCTERIDAE Bleeker 1858 (Pencil and Parasitic Catfishes)

Updated 2 July 2024 PDF version (with illustrations and additional information) Chapada Pencil Catfishes Subfamily COPIONODONTINAE de Pinna 1992 Copionodon de Pinna 1992 kōpídion (Gr. κωπίδιον), diminutive of kṓpē (κώπη), oar; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to paddle-shaped outer row of teeth on premaxilla and dentary Copionodon […]